Lavender Love Lost
by HyugaVault
Summary: A rewrite of The Last: Naruto The Movie. Continues on after the events of the movie. NaruHina and possible other pairings. After Naruto loses Hinata how will he recover? Will their relationship survive?
1. Prologue

**Hey guys, this is going to be my first fanfic it's one I have been thinking about for a while now. It takes place during THE LAST movie and onward. I love NaruHina but I wish we had more substance about their relationship. I think how they got together was too smooth and I am adding drama and more plot. This will go beyond the end of the movie. This first chapter is basically me rewriting the scene from the movie with me adding in the characters' thoughts and feelings while things are happening. I tweaked the conversations a bit because I am going to be stemming quite a bit away from how characters acted because, as I said, the movie went far too smoothly. I also think some of it was a bit out of character.**

 **Note: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO or any of its characters**

 **Duh**

 **PROLOGUE:**

 _ **The Pain of Separation**_

"I said, I love you Hinata" Naruto said quietly. She gasped, her whole life had been spent waiting for those words. Ever since the academy she had watched him, she always had a deep admiration and respect for him, no matter how many villagers put him down he kept fighting for his dream, he would be Hokage. She had even adopted his nindo, never going back on your word. He never gave up, and as she watched him she only grew fonder of him. After he left to train with Jiraiya for three years she realized that admiration had blossomed into love.  
She looked up at his sparkling Cerulean eyes and down his muscular frame taking in every detail of what was surely going to be her best memory, while glowing golden butterflies danced in the moonlight.

As he waited for her response he looked at the way the moonlight framed her hourglass figure, momentarily lost in the beauty of what was in front of him. It was too good to be true.

The moment was perfect, she paused for a moment, and upon comprehending the gravity of his statement, took a breath, so she could finally tell him how she had always felt, and give him the scarf she just finished; however, just then a pale man dressed in a white kimono came out of the sky on a floating pedestal. His eyes, a pale blue, with chakra dancing around the pupils, they radiated power and appeared to glow. It was Toneri, the man that kidnapped Hinata's sister, and whom they were currently on a mission to stop. Naruto snapped out of his trance and immediately moved into a defensive position in front of Hinata and began to fire questions at the man about Hanabi, her sister. Meanwhile Hinata mulled over what the ancestral spirits had told her and what she needed to do.

Toneri was a member of the side branch of the Otsutsuki clan of the moon. He believed that Hamura Otsutsuki, the brother of the Sage of Six Paths-Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the first shinobi, had ordered the destruction of the shinobi of earth, the legacy of the Hogoromo, should these shinobi use chakra as a weapon of war rather than a tool for peace. This was a misinterpretation of an ancient celestial decree which resulted after a war in which the main branch of the clan was killed by the side branch. After the ten tails was revived in the fourth great shinobi war Toneri began preparations to enact the celestial decree. She learned this while their team had been tracking Toneri down.

They had come across the ruins of one of Hamura's ancient shinobi villages on the moon. Upon uncovering a secret passage to a burial ground Hinata was given a vision from Hamura himself telling her that she was the only one who could stop the moon, it was her destiny, she was the fated "Byakugan princess". After the talk Hamura awakened the dormant chakra inside her that would alow her to destroy the tenseigan- the artifact that had been used to kill the main branch of the moon clan and the one currently propelling the moon. The special chakra was passed down to her by her ancestors who diverged from the moon clan, she awakened her power similar to how Naruto obtained his six-paths sage mode.

At the start of their mission, before Hinata took the secret passage to the moon, and before she had learned of her heritage Toneri had appeared before her and asked for her hand in marriage. She declined instantly and said that she would rescue Hanabi. Toneri pointed out that her team did not even know where to begin to look for her, he showed Hinata a picture of Hanabi, unharmed but with bandages wrapped around her eyes. He asked that she reconsider, and then said that he would return again but this time expecting an answer. Then Naruto showed up and bashed Toneri's head in revealing that it was just a puppet.

The responsibility from her ancestors coupled with the knowledge that her sister was alone in a place they were unlikely to find led her decide that the quickest and easiest way to fix things was to "accept" Toneri's offer of marriage and deceive him.

She used these memories to strengthen her resolve, she could not let Naruto or anyone else endanger themselves again, this was the only way.

She now had to make the hardest decision of her entire life, one she could never have been prepared for: to fake her intention to marry Toneri, stop the moon from crashing into earth by destroying the tenseigan, and save her sister.

It came at a price however, as she could potentially destroy her relationship with Naruto. They had been growing closer throughout the entire mission. She had been knitting the scarf for him as fast as she could because, after she finished she had planned to finally confess her love, and tell him everything. Throughout the journey she had come to love him even more, a feat she never thought possible. And now he had confessed his feelings for her! The timing could not be worse.

'I need to go there's too much at stake, but why now? After he just...' Her inner struggle had to come to a halt when Toneri finally responded to Naruto's barrage of questions with simply "I came to hear Hinata's answer"  
Naruto was too quick to defend her. "She has nothing to say to you!"

'I have to save my sister and I am the only one who can stop the moon, there is no other way, Naruto has to wait' Hinata convinced herself one last time, she couldn't let her feelings endanger her sister or the world.

Slowly Hinata walked over to Naruto and handed him the scarf she had been knitting for him for so long. She had to have faith that he would understand.

He looked at her, confused by the bizarre gesture. Her eyes burned as she fought back tears. She couldn't cry now, she had to convince them both.

Hinata slowly made her way over to Toneri, the moonlight reflecting off of her long flowing blue hair, confidence in her stride. Moonlight, the same light that held so much potential just a moment ago had become ominously foreboding.

"Hinata, wait what's going on?" Naruto exclaimed, she was too close to Toneri for Naruto to be able to guarantee her safety should he attack.

"Goodbye, Naruto" she said with a mournful look on her face. When she finally made it over to Toneri she stepped into his arms as he pulled her into a hug. Naruto stood still, totally in shock, trying to process exactly what just happened.

'She had been about to say something, but just like every time before she didn't, and then she went over to Toneri, leaving me a scarf? What the hell is going on'?

'I bet he put her under some nasty genjutsu. That's the only explanation. What does he want with her or her sister anyway!? But she just got on his pedestal without a second thought, genjutsu would just knock her out, right? Maybe she...'

While he was at a momentary loss, Toneri took advantage of Naruto's lapse in concentration and began to fly off.

'NO! It had to be a genjutsu, there's no way she would… I have to save her!'

"HINATA!" Naruto bellowed charging after them, using clones to propel him into the sky, the urgency and pain evident in his voice. His other teammates: Sakura, Sai, and Shikamaru who were asleep began rushing to his aid as soon as they heard his alarming shout, riding atop Sai's painted eagles. They arrived just in time to catch a flying Naruto who had just been hit by one of Toneri's numerous puppets, the blast ripping the long, red scarf he had clutched tightly in his hand right down the middle.

Using the Eagle he landed on Naruto quickly caught up to Toneri and began charging a Rasengan using the chakra of the tailed beast inside of him, his blond hair being bathed in its orange glow.

"Give Hinata Back"! The tone of his voice having quickly changed to desperation as it was becoming impossible to believe she had been taken against her will, the heartbreak was threatening to twist his words.

Toneri merely laughed "Give her back?! She came to me willingly, and as it has been destined since ancient times. We will be married!"

'Married?'

He felt like he had been punched in the gut. He didn't need to hide the feeling of betrayal, it was all he could do to keep it from consuming him. In that instant all of Naruto's resolve melted from his body. But he mustered the strength he had left to utter a single damning question in a quieter voice than he had ever used before:  
"Hinata, is it true?"

Hinata could not even begin to consider giving a response if she wanted to conceal the feeling washing over her, the one from every fiber of her being that screamed for her to move, do something, to go to him and tell him it was all a big lie and that she would always love him. She could almost audibly hear his heart break. She couldn't do that, but that didn't stop her from feeling more guilty and repressed than she had any other time in her life, it was all she could do to not crumple to her knees and weep. SHE did this to him, the man who had worked his entire life to gain acceptance from the village had finally reached out to entrust his entire life to her and now he thought she had spit on him. Here, all she could do was stare at her feet like she had every time she was around him since they were kids and try not to feel his devastated gaze. She closed her eyes, it was the only way to fight the tears.

Naruto didn't need anyone to explain what Hinata was telling him, it was written all over her downcast gaze. His stomach turned over as he felt bile rose in his throat, he felt sick. He struggled to construct any semblance of coherent thought as his mind rapidly flashed through all that she had done for him: The cream at the Chunin exams, the flowers at the hospital, even her speech in the last war, and he came to the realization that she was just a nice person, and didn't care for other's suffering, everything has been for the village or out of the goodness of her heart. It was never like that, why would he assume it was? The dreams he had about her feelings for him had been nothing but a reflection of his desire to finally have someone. In his life how many people felt like that about him? No one, even now, with all the gifts from the girls at the festival, no one was attracted to who he was as a person, just his image of a powerful war hero and that would pass with time. There was, however, one memory that could not be resolved in his mind. Her confession of love for him during Pain's attack, at the time he did not understand what she meant, only that she had been willing to die to save him. Maybe it was as simple as that, but he used that memory to fuel the ever dimming flames of hope in the back of his mind and prepared to defend against the attack Toneri was charging. He would bring her back and find it out himself.

Toneri shot a green orb, just like the one he had used to knock Hinata out in the park back in Konoha, straight at Naruto. Naruto immediately countered using the orange orb in his right hand with as much force as he could manage. However, he was shocked to see Toneri's attack wrap around his and overtake it, seemingly absorbing one of his most powerful techniques.

Naruto thrust his hand out in an attempt to push the attack away from his vulnerable body but it slid off his hand and struck his black coat just above his stomach and passed though his body with enough force to once again propel him into the air. His and his tenet's chakra were then ripped out of his back, but as this happened Naruto felt as if something far greater had been pulled from him. The chakra fell, condensing into a large pool with the yin and yang symbols on the top. It that fell a short ways before exploding for a short time in a massive cylindrical display of pyrotechnics, the likes of which no one present had ever seen. As the blast came up and struck Naruto's back the scarf was knocked from his hand and disintegrated, and his body began falling into the crater that lead all the way to the surface of the moon. For Hinata this was all too much for her to take.

"What have you done to him!?" She angrily shouted, barely keeping the full extent of her emotions below the surface. Toneri calmly responded "I just want to avoid petty fights". He then created another green orb in front of her face and knocked her out, not wanting to upset her further. As her vision began to fade she could only watch as Naruto's limp body slowly plummeted towards the abyss, hoping only for his safety, and loathing the unforeseen consequences of her decision before her reality faded to nothingness.  
 _ **Fin- Chapter One**_

 **Did you like it? I added I little more emotion to the characters actions because they didn't seem upset enough for my taste originally. Don't worry, the next chapter is where everything starts to change.**

 **REVIEWS are a drug to me, if you don't give me reviews I will have Itachi put you in his tsukuyomi. (too harsh?) Also I will respond to each one individually for as long as I can.. Guesses as to where I am going to take this and requests are all good. I'd prefer the requests submitted after a long perilous review but I digress. Beggars can't be choozers amirite. I am curious to see if you guys want me to write any other romances in.**

 **P.S. I hope all that wasn't too cheezy.**

 _ **-HyugaVault**_


	2. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! I apologize for the late upload. However, this chapter is more than twice the length of the last. Get it? The last? Eh? Anyway this chapter is late due to the fact that I wrote about half of the next chapter thinking it would be part of this one. I hope you enjoy!**

 **Here's a key for scene shifts and dialogue as suggested by guest #4. I actually did italicize quotes as he specifically suggested last chapter but I lost them sometime between me transferring my chapters through 3 different programs. I went through this time and I think I got them though.**

* * *

 **Dialogue Key:**

 **-: Separation of scene or representation of characters leaving.**

 **~~~~: Separation of flashback and scene. Flashbacks will be entirely italicized. Hope that doesn't get annoying.**

 **'** **(** _text_ **)': Thoughts, dreams, occasionally act as "air quotes" will be italicized except for when they are used for the last reason. THE LAST? It's not getting better is it?**

 **"** **(** text **)": Speech**

(Text) **: jutsus**

 **Text: Me, or Kurama**

* * *

 **Note: In an alternate universe there is a me probably thinking that I own Naruto. Let the record reflect: that me is incorrect.**

 **Bars** **(cut me some slack I'm typing these notes at 1 AM)**

* * *

 ** _The Strength To Believe_**

Naruto opened his eyes to see darkness. _'Where am I?'_ He looked around to see that he was laying on a mat of some sort. _'Am I in a cave?'_ His body felt like it was made of lead and his head was fuzzy. As he sat up all of his memories rushed back to him.

 _'Goodbye, Naruto'_

He quickly laid back down. _'I don't want to remember.'_ It was then that the other person in the room made themselves known. "So you're finally awake, huh?" Naruto recognized Shikamaru's voice but had no intention of acknowledging him. "I'm guessing something happened between you and Hinata?" he continued. "You kept muttering things about her while you slept, it sounded pretty bad." Naruto only rolled on his side, showing his back to his friend. He was in no mood to chat. "Come on, let's go rescue Hinata and Hanabi"  
"…" Shikamaru sighed; he had no idea how to revive the shinobi in front of him, or even what had happened. "Is it really that hard to face the woman that dumped you?" The team could not even hope to accomplish their mission without Naruto's strength, Shikamaru and Sai had already figured out where Toneri's castle was and how to enter, all the needed was Naruto. Shikamaru sighed again, he would have to wait until Sakura woke up, she would set him straight. As he walked he mumbled "Troublesome."

* * *

While Shikamaru and the others were planning the rescue mission Naruto mulled over everything that he had gone through to reach this point. Every step he had taken to reach the conclusion he had presented to her was under scrutiny. He supposed it all started at the Chunin exams. He had first encountered her in the written exam when she had offered to let him cheat off of her paper so he could pass. Naruto thanked her for her kindness but he was not one to cheat. (Even though it was the purpose of the exam!) He had, at that time, written off her actions as her trying to have as many Konoha Genin make it as far as possible. Naruto still had trouble taking compliments and accepting random acts of kindness. It was just against the nature of his upbringing. He had really gotten to know Hinata, however, in the preliminary battles of the third part of the exam. These tested Shinobi on their battle strength. He had just finished winning his match to guarantee his spot in the finals of the exam when he came across the young girl again.

 _"N-Naruto" he had turned around after hearing the quiet, shaky voice to discover a 12 year old Hinata, with her arms extended. She appeared to be holding some sort of container, what it was for he didn't have the slightest clue. He looked to her sensei for assistance, he didn't want to upset her, she was already red and shaking. Due to his experiences with his teammate, Sakura, he took this to be a bad sign. Kurenai-Sensei was quick to clear those thoughts up though. "It's a healing ointment, it's a special recipe from her clan, she wants you to have it." Naruto was surprised, he had just finished his match with her teammate and had sent him to the medics, he was confused but accepted it nonetheless. "Thanks Hinata, that's really nice of you." He was already healed thanks to the tailed beast inside of him, but the gesture was not lost on the boy. Very few people were kind to him and he did not forget a single one. After that her name had been called for her match, she was up against her older cousin and clan prodigy, Neji Hyuga. He was worried for her as he knew Neji was a genius and had graduated at the top of his class. She had guts just for agreeing to fight him. However, that worry was justified as soon as she landed in the ring._

 _Neji began taunting her, saying she was nothing but a failure in the eyes of her father and her clan. He said that she was not suited to be a ninja, that she was too kind, went along with what others said too easily, and spent her life walking on eggshells because she was afraid to let someone else down after she led a life of disappointment in the eyes of her father. This angered Naruto "Come on Hinata! Are you just going to sit there and take that? Don't lose to this jerk!" but worse was to come._

 _Hinata justified her presence at the exams to her cousin. "T-Thats not true. I am here of my own o-own will. I-I just want, to change." Hinata had entered these exams to change herself for the better. Naruto had inspired her; no matter how bad you were you could be the best if you never gave up. She wanted to be strong, independent, and successful._

 _Neji scoffed at her "You do not understand, I now see that you are just a spoiled brat from the main family. People cannot change; your value is based on your image and ability. People accept their shortcomings and live with them. Just like that boy cheering over there you are a failure, and that cannot change. Your mistake is in believing in the dead-last's folly. Even now, you are simply trying to be tough; you really don't even want to be fighting at all. You were fine with being a Genin because of your lack of skills, confidence, and substance of any kind. You accept that just as you will accept being a failure. Do not think the world bends to your will, you are nothing." Neji had a hard look on his face as if this was something he had been pondering for quite some time._

 _Hinata's face drained of all color as a look of horror crossed her face. 'What if I can't change, what if this is who I will always be, a pathetic mess?' The mere thought brought tears to her eyes. She was helpless, and began trembling at the thought of her worst fear. Being stuck in weakness forever._

 _Naruto was seething with rage, Neji had disrespected her in front of everyone present. Her cousin's rant had brought tears to the eyes of the girl who had been so kind to him for seemingly no reason. She hadn't just given him the medicine, in the first phase of the exams she had offered to let him cheat off of her paper so he wouldn't fail. He had to stick up for the girl even if she couldn't do it herself._  
 _"You won't be callin' her a failure when she's kicking your ass. Jerk! She can be whatever she wants to be and you don't have the right to stop her you bastard. I can't wait to see the look on your face when she cleans your clock. GO HINATA!" He committed fully to cheering for her as the instructor quickly began the match._

 _Hinata felt a surge of confidence at her crush's encouraging words. Even if she couldn't change she had to at least try. How could she give up before she even used her nin-do of never giving up?_

 _Despite his words Naruto was worried, facing anyone was better than Neji Hyuga. Especially because the young Genin seemed to already harbor a vendetta against Hinata._

 _The two Hyugas took the traditional jyuuken stance and both rushed in._

 _The match progressed intensely as the two exchanged furious jyuuken strikes that left the air reverberating with chakra. Despite Neji's frightening speed Hinata held her own. She was mostly on the defensive but countered with devastating jabs that Neji seemed a bit worried about. They always seemed to be too close for comfort, even for the Hyuga genius. The strikes began to slow down as the battle slowly came to a climax when Hinata swiftly blocked Neji's strike at the tenketsu behind her clavicle and maneuvered under his block to strike him in the chest with a sharp burst of chakra. Naruto had been closely following the action and when her jab finally struck her opponent he felt a flood of happiness._

 _Naruto let the air he didn't know he had been holding out with a shout "Yatta!" "Way to go Hinata!" However his joy was cut short when he saw Neji's smirk and Hinata's confused look. Neji was almost glowing. 'But why is he happy? She finally got him and he looks like he was just informed of her surrender. What happened? How was he unaffected by that?'_

 _"You've lost."_

 _Naruto grit his teeth, he could feel Neji's sick satisfaction from where he was and wanted nothing less than to wipe it off his face. Naruto was reminded of a smirk that he knew all too well, but Sasuke-teme was better than the Hyuga jerk. Sasuke arrogant and egotistical sure, but he wasn't cruel or sadistic like the prodigy in front of them now._

 _"H-How did you?" Hinata's voice faltered as she did not quite know what to ask. She didn't know if he had defended against her attack or prevented her from executing it properly. She guessed the latter; no one could defend against an organ strike and if he could Neji would have been this smug from the beginning. She began to realize what had happened as she pulled up her sleeve to investigate. There were small circular chakra burns up her arm and she knew the cause all too well._

 _"I've blocked most of the tenketsu on your arms. Without them you cannot use your jyuuken properly, the chakra from your strikes is inconsistent, rendering them useless. Give up and spare yourself the punishment. You cannot win." With that the smug look had melted off of his face and returned to the normal Hyuga mask while readying his body back into his resting jyuuken stance. He was the paragon of passive indifference, except for the gleam in his eye as he watched her begin to panic, that betrayed his true emotions._

 _Hinata however refused to give up to her cousin. "No I won't give up, because I never go back on my word. That too is my nin-do, MY ninja way." She shot a glance at the orange, wide eyed Genin. She hoped he didn't take offense to her ''stealing" his ninja way._

 _On the contrary, Naruto was speechless; she had adopted his way of the ninja. Not one of the villagers appreciated him and the heir to the Hyuga clan emulated his way of life. It made him feel strangely warm inside. "That's it Hinata don't give up, you can still win!" He had to keep rooting for her. Now her victory would not only be hers, but a victory for their very way of life._

 _The two Hyugas rushed back at each other and began striking at each other again. Neji however had had enough. "It's pointless you cannot use your jyuuken, I'm ending this match. Just remember, I gave you an out." With that Neji swiftly maneuvered around her guard and struck the chakra point nearest her heart. Hinata's hand froze, outstretched towards Neji's sternum. She coughed, and a large quantity of blood was expelled. She dropped like a stone face down onto the pavement with a thump. Neij's smirk returned_  
 _"You brought this on yourself."_

 _The referee moved closer and raised his hand to call the match._

 _The silence was broken abruptly causing everyone to jump. "No wait! You can't!" Naruto yelled._  
 _The teams just stared._

 _"Naruto what are you doing?" Sakura was embarrassed by her teammate's actions. Naruto merely pointed at Hinata as she slowly rose to her feet. "I won't back down, not yet. I will…never…give…up!" She was barely standing at this point and the room was returned to silence out of respect._

 _Neji was rapidly growing impatient. "Don't bluff, I can see you're barely standing, if you don't back down you will die. You are a failure, and you are trying to overcome the pain of accepting that failure by continuing this match."_

 _Hinata however saw the truth behind the cruelty of her cousin's actions. She had been thinking about his change in attitude and knew just what was bothering him. "Neji I can see you are the one truly in pain, the pain of being oppressed by the main house and having your father taken from you. The pain of being forced to protect what took everything from you. Being branded with a cage that you cannot escape. You face greater pain than I. I am not afraid of death if it means I have changed." Hinata wanted nothing more than for Neji's pain to be lifted, she would rather have the cursed seal herself than witness others suffer from it because of her and her family._

 _For Neji this was the last straw and he rushed Hinata, but as soon as his feet dug into the ground to go after her Hinata's heart began to give out and she fell to the floor._

 _Neij's judgement was blinded by anger and pain. "If what you wish is death than you shall receive!" The referee's shout for the match to stop fell on deaf ears. Just as Neji was about to strike the fallen girl the Jonin senseis in the stands stopped him. They appeared next to him in a blinding display of speed. The silence was deafening. You could hear a pin drop. Guy was the first to speak "Neji I am deeply disappointed in you, I thought I taught you better than to hit a clearly disabled opponent late."_

 _"I guess the main family gets special treatment." Neji seemed to have gained a strange sense of satisfaction from having been stopped by the Jonin._

 _Naruto, Lee, and Sakura jumped out of the stands. Sakura only jumped down because she was afraid of the strength of the killer intent that was radiating off of her teammate. She hadn't felt anything this strong since their mission in the land of waves. Naruto rushed to the downed girl's side as she began to speak, each word quieter than the last. "Naruto, do you think I managed to change even a little?" With that she lost consciousness._

 _Kurenai was the only one focused on the imperative nature of medical treatment. "MEDICS! Quickly!" Immediately 3 Jonin medics rushed out with a stretcher and quickly but carefully placed the broken girl onto it. The leader of the group immediately began the pretreatment scan of her vitals. "SHE'S GOING INTO CARDIAC ARREST HAVE THE OPERATION ROOM READY IMMEDIATELY!" The team rushed her out of the room as swiftly as they had come._

 _Naruto was so full of emotions he didn't know what to say. He let her brave actions move him. Her strength and perseverance against such a powerful opponent. The rage he felt towards someone who would openly degrade such powerful emotions and ideals. He dipped his fingers in the blood splattered on the floor and let his emotions spike with the recollection of how mercilessly she had been dealt with. "For Hinata!" He pointed his outstretched fist at Neji "I vow to WIN!"  
_ That had been the first time Naruto really _noticed_ her, when he had seen her display of bravery and kindness he was deeply moved. From that moment on he considered her one of his precious people. Those he would protect with his life. Even though Naruto was just a child his precious people were worth more than life to him. In truth, they were all that made his life livable. His appreciation of her increased ten-fold on his way to his match with Neji. He had stopped by the training grounds where he became a Genin. He met her there. The memory was one of his favorites from his young days.  
 _He jogged up to her "Hey! Hinata!"_

 _She seemed to jump ten feet away at the sound of his voice and hid behind one of the three poles in the center of the wide field. They were the same ones he had ended up being tied too when they had failed to get the bells during Kakashi's the bell test._

 _She appeared to be shaken by his sudden appearance. "N-Naruto! Aren't you s-supposed to be preparing for your m-match?"_

 _In truth, he was, but he was also felt incredibly nervous and thought that the field would bring back good memories to strengthen his resolve. He wanted to prove to himself that he could finally be anything but a failure, that he was Naruto Uzumaki and not the Kyuubi. That Naruto Uzumaki was someone to remember. But right then he wasn't even sure himself._  
 _"I just came here to… this is where I became a Genin so… well it doesn't really matter." He scratched the back of his head. He really didn't know what to say. He hadn't had too many interactions with the shy girl. When they were younger he had stopped the bullies from bothering her but he hadn't ever really had a full conversation with the girl._

 _"N-no. I guess not." Even though she was startled by his sudden appearance she didn't want to see him go. 'I wonder why he really stopped here.' She wanted to know but she was too nice to push the issue. He was clearly uncomfortable with the subject._

 _After a few seconds he broke the silence. "Say, Hinata, Neji is a cousin of yours isn't he? Does that mean... He's really strong?"_

 _She nodded. 'Is he nervous?' She began to worry about her crush, pushing her fingers together like she always did when she was unsure of herself._

 _He heaved a great sigh  
"Great."_

 _Hinata became very flustered after seeing his dejected face. His tone was very… unsettling and for her that just wouldn't do. "Naruto, H-He may be strong but I still think you can win"_

 _"Yeah, I'm pretty strong too ya know, HeHeHeHeHe…he…he…" Naruto was feeling a lot of pressure from this match; it was his chance to prove himself. He found it harder to keep the false smile on his face._

 _She had to keep trying; sometimes she thought his sadness was harder on her than him. She had watched him long enough to know the difference between his real smiles and the fake ones he used to mask his pain. The latter of the two always bothered her, that wasn't as hard on her; however, what really disturbed her was the number of smiles that were fake. Every time she saw him like that she squirmed in her seat, even though she couldn't do anything in broke her heart to see what the boy had to go through. She had to do something about it now, this time she knew the cause. "I know you will win Naruto. Remember when you cheered for me in the preliminaries? I felt like I could do anything, like I could rise to any challenge when you said that. And when it was over, for the first time, I was able to look back, and like myself a little. To anyone else it may look like nothing is different, but to me, it meant the world. I feel like a whole new person now, and that's thanks to you Naruto." She scooted so her body was concealed a little more by the pole she was behind. She was very happy, however that she did not stutter once during her speech._

 _Naruto was blown away; he never knew that he could mean something like that to anyone.  
He thought everyone saw him as a problem. "Hinata, do you really think that about me? I know I always try to look tough, like I'm really strong, but I only do that because I'm so frustrated with myself. Deep down, I'm afraid that when it really means something, like this time, I will let you and everyone down. I just… feel like I'm… useless." He kicked a stray pebble on the ground.  
'Why'd I have to go and say that? Now she probably thinks I'm a loser. Well it was bound to happen at some point. Everyone else seems to think so.' He deflated and started to walk away with his head down._

 _Hinata was growing desperate; she could not watch him go to the match like this. Well, she really couldn't let him go anywhere like this, it was just so gut-wrenching to think that he thought about himself that way. It reminded her too much of herself. "N-no, that's not true! Even when you couldn't succeed you were always... Hmm…how can I put this...A proud failure to me. Even after the world knocked you down you still got up and kept going, you had the strength to continue. A-as I watched you I always had a powerful feeling of determination. I think that's what it means to be strong Naruto. To never give up. I j-just… think you're a really strong person Naruto!" Her face turned bright red after that and she squeaked a bit. 'I can't believe I said that to Naruto-kun.' She had a large smile on her face as she peered around the pole to see how her crush would react to her statement._

 _Naruto was stunned he couldn't believe there was a person who really believed in him when he faced the prodigy of the most feared clan in Konoha. And the one who believed in him was the heir to that same clan! His fears were lifted just like that. All it took was one person, it felt like she had lifted the sky off of his shoulders and put it back in place._

 _"Thanks Hinata. I really needed that." He meant it from the bottom of his heart. He could count on one hand how many times someone made him feel this way. She really was interesting.  
"I'm usually pretty confident but this time I was really worried. But thanks to you I know I can win." He smiled his widest smile at her. "It's about time I headed to the arena for the match, I'll see you there!" He began to walk off._

 _"Yeah" She was happy that she could help him. She had surprised herself with her boldness. She only wished she could do more. After all, he had saved her from the one thing she feared most: herself._

 _Naruto turned around just as he was about to exit the field "Oh. Hinata, one more thing."_

 _"Yes?" She was surprised he could even hear him she was so quiet._

 _He scratched the back of his head "Hinata, it's just…I used to think that…well, umm…"  
He struggled to find the right words and paused for a moment._

 _She briskly moved her body so it was no longer concealed by the pole. She had to hear what he had to say. Her cheeks were aflame and her mind was racing._

 _'What!? What!? What is it? What does he think!?' The suspense was killing her._

 _Naruto finally continued "…You were timid, gloomy, plain, and just…weird." He smiled sheepishly at speaking the truth so bluntly._

 _Hinata's head dropped so fast her chin struck her rib cage. "...oh..." She felt like she was going to cry. That was the complete opposite of what she was hoping for._

 _Naruto was quick to continue, noticing the girl's depression. "But you know what? I was wrong! The kind of people I like, are people like you!" He had a slight blush as he laughed. At that he took off. Time seemed to freeze for the Hyuga heiress. She just stood still as a statue completely in disbelief.  
_

Naruto smiled at the memory and allowed the tears he was holding on to run free. That memory was a reflection of the magnitude of difference she made in his life. She was truly the best person he knew.

Naruto sighed; this was so much harder than he thought.  
'I wonder what she's thinking about right now.'

* * *

 _'Hinata opened her eyes. She was sitting on a couch in the living room_ _of a large house overlooking the Konoha. Outside birds were singing and she could hear her two beautiful children squealing outside as they played with Naruto, their father. She knitted and hummed her favorite song, the one they had first danced to at their wedding. Everything was how it should be. She got up, when the shouting came to an abrupt stop, and went to see what her family was up to. When she got to the front porch she saw Naruto. He was bleeding, having been impaled twice by the two swords currently embedded in chest. "Don't worry, I got 'em" he laughed weakly as he staggered backwards and fell over the railing of the porch. Time slowed as she ran to catch him, and the room seemed to stretch away from her, when she looked over the rail the ground he approached opened and twisted into a bottomless abyss, she couldn't get closer, she couldn't help. She screamed his name, but it was too late, as he fell she knew he was…'_

"NARUTO!" Hinata woke up in a cold sweat. Her nightmare had mirrored her recent past and fear of what might have happened to the blond bombshell. It was just a dream.

 _'No thinking about that now. I have a mission to do.'_ Looking around she saw that she was in an unfamiliar place, _'this must be Toneri's castle.'_ She rolled out of the large bed and activated her Byakugan beginning look for her sister. Hanabi was not far, just two rooms down the hall. Hinata immediately rushed to her younger sister.

When she opened the door to the large bedroom that contained her sister she saw a small form lying in the middle of a bed similar to the one she herself woke up in. Her sister had bandages covering her eyes, confirming her suspicions on how Toneri got his eyes. She sat at the head of the bed and grabbed her sister's hand. "Hanabi, I'm sorry it took so long. I'll get you out of here soon. Just you wait!" Hinata felt a gentle pressure on her hand and knew that her sister was okay.

Hinata had a lot of work to do and very little time to do it, it wouldn't be long before the moon crashed into the earth, and she had to find the Tenseigan and destroy it in that time. As she was comforting her sister Toneri came in, startling her. "So you're awake?" Hinata took a deep breath and approached the man. The faster she destroyed the power for this place, the faster she could get to Naruto-kun.

* * *

Naruto, was still living in the past. He recalled the change in his attitude towards the girl. After she was the first one to truly believe in him and his way of the ninja, and her performance in the Chunin exams Naruto held Hinata in high regard. He always enjoyed seeing her succeed and admired her strength in the desire to change herself. He never wanted to see her as depressed as she was again. He truly cared for her. However it wasn't until well after his three year training trip with Jiraiya that he grasped the depth of his feelings. It all happened in a flash, when Pain attacked. Naruto had come back to Konoha after mastering sage mode to find it in ruin. Pain had destroyed the entire village; the casualties were staggering to say the least. Naruto was prepared however. With his strategies he was able to defeat 5 out of the 6 paths of Pain, but when the sixth Pain killed Fukasaku, one of the great sage toads, instead of attacking him he was caught off guard and with no more sage power. Pain quickly took advantage of the situation and retrained Naruto's movement. As Pain was preparing to take him away he was forced to accept his failure. 'I fought well, I defeated 5 of the Pains, at least this way no more harm will come to Konoha. Besides, it will take a while for the Akatsuki leader to recover from this. I have to leave the future to my village.' However that's when Hinata stepped in.

 _Naruto was laying on the ground pinned by long poles that were stuck in his hands, shoulders and abdomen. The pain was white hot, they were not just causing external damage but they were disrupting his chakra flow. Pain's chakra was forcing its way into his system. All of this however paled in comparison to the emotional damage Naruto had suffered. Jiraiya was dead, he had come to grips with that before the attack. But now, Kakashi was gone. Shizune was gone. Fukasaku was gone. The village was destroyed. Thousands had been lost. He fought for all of these reasons. But he was down now. As the last line of defense for his village Naruto's guilt was insurmountable. Tsunade had used all of her chakra to keep the village alive. She had put her trust in him. He had failed. His only hope was that Pain would take him and leave. Not acting on his hate for Konoha and not killing the remaining helpless civilians. As Pain's pupils began to dilate to prepare to take the Kyuubi jinchuriki there was a shout followed by a small explosion. Even Pain seemed to have been taken by surprise. As the dust cleared Naruto felt his stomach drop. Hinata. She had jumped into the fray._

 _"_ _Hinata! No! Get out of here! You can't beat him! What are you doing?!" Naruto could barely think straight as it was. This brought his desperation to a level he did not think possible. The Kyuubi continued to attempt to feed Naruto power, exploiting the young boy's turbulent emotional state. Naruto held it back. He knew that if he let a single drop of the chakra enter his system in his current state its influence would result in a rampage. He didn't have the strength to reign in the demon once it took hold and the damage would be catastrophic. Naruto was helpless. 'She knows she can't win! Why is she here? I can't watch… not her… not another one.' Tears forced their way into his eyes._

 _Hinata was angry "I will NOT let you hurt Naruto-kun any longer!" She said forcefully._

 _Pain responded in his usual monotone voice "Reinforcements?" He almost sounded bored._

 _Naruto was shaking; he could not imagine a worse scenario in his head. Too much had been taken but now her? Right before his eyes. He had to know why should would do this. Why she would enter the fight knowing she would die. "Why? Why are you doing this!?" His voice broke on the last word. "Please! Just go! Forget about me! Don't do this! You can't win!" He was being begging her now._

 _Hinata was composed however "I know." She responded calmly. "I'm just being selfish."_

 _Naruto loathed his predicament "What are you talking about? Get out of here now!" Naruto did not understand. Such actions were foreign to him._

 _Hinata's will would not falter "I'm here of my own will. Because I want to be, no, because I need to be." Naruto could only look up at her. "I was always crying, giving up before I even let myself try. I made so many mistakes. But then, I met you Naruto. You showed me the light. You brought me down the correct path. I was always following you, running after you. I wanted to catch up to you, to stand by you. To be there for you when you need me, forever. To bear the burden of your pain with you. You've changed who I am; your smiling face saved me Naruto. That's why I'm not afraid to die here, or anywhere else, if it means I can protect you. I'm here because… I love you." She then took her fighting stance._

 _Naruto froze, his mind had cracked under the emotional strain. Time moved in slow motion. He was helpless. He watched as she destroyed one of the poles holding him. He couldn't take his eyes off of her as she was pushed away by Pain's attack. Naruto's five senses were dulled. All he could do was see what was going on. He held it in. He watched as she charged her hands with chakra. "_ _Gentle Step: Twin Lion Fists"_ _, she shouted as she charged Pain. Naruto felt like his skin was on fire as he tried desperately to keep it all in, all the emotions that would break him. He was shocked back into reality when she actually managed to strike Pain. Wasting no time she dashed over and broke another one of his poles. Pain had had enough. 'No.' Was all the blond could think, all he could feel. It was wrong. He watched as her body floated into the air and was slammed into the ground. 'Stop. Both of you stop.' His abdomen locked up when he saw her get shakily to her feet. His stomach did backflips with each step she took. She continued, limping over to him, with blood running down her face. Naruto was pouring 200% of his willpower into preventing himself from giving into the power inside him. 100% to keep himself from wanting to do it. And 100% to keep the other individual from doing it on its own. Naruto felt like his head was going to explode. Hinata fell, and started crawling towards him. When she reached him he had tears flowing down his face. He finally forced himself to speak "Why… Please stop… PLEASE." He was sobbing now, his body heaving. She smiled sweetly at him "It's my nin-do, my ninja way." Her body flew up once more. Limp in the air, graceful, even now. His world froze once more as he screamed in his head 'STOP!'_

 _BOOM_

 _He could see her body lying at Pain's feet in a crater. Pain pulled out another black rod from his sleeve and impaled her, Naruto could see the blood seep out, it mixed with the color of his vision, the floodgates were open. Pain spoke "My parents were killed like this, right in front of my eyes by Konoha shinobi. Do you know Pain?" His words fell not on the ears of the kind, caring, strong Konoha shinobi. But on those of the bloodthirsty demon he had brought forth. Naruto let the chakra consume him. He was happy to have lost control. Now he wouldn't have to face the reality of the situation, the loss that could never be recovered. Now he could disappear._

After that Naruto met one of his parents for the first time, Minato Namikaze, the fourth Hokage. He fixed Naruto's seal and brought him back from the brink. After talking to his father Naruto defeated Pain. He then went to Nagato, the "real" Pain and convinced him to believe in Jiraiya, their sensei, and his teachings, to believe in Naruto himself, and to believe in peace. Nagato decided to do just that and used Gedo Art of Rinne Rebirth to revive all of the shinobi that had been killed in the attack on Konoha as a final redemption. Nagato died after the jutsu and Naruto was celebrated as the village hero. After that he had focused on rebuilding the village, and saving Sasuke. However, he never forgot what Nagato taught him. He never forgot the pain he felt before he gave into darkness. It was a pain he never wanted to feel again. Sometime between then and during this mission the fear of losing Hinata had changed, it transformed. Now, he wasn't just afraid to loser her, he didn't know how to live without her.

* * *

Naruto was in his own world. Shikamaru had studied the future Hokage sitting, sulking in his own despair for long enough. The 'Hero of Konoha' was just staring at a wall of the cave quietly. Why did everything have to be so troublesome?

"How long are you going to sit there like that?" After Naruto neglected to respond again Shikamaru decided he had had enough, they had very little time and the EARTH was at stake. Sakura had just woken up so he came up with something he knew would get the orange blur on his feet. Shikamaru winced, he had great respect for the shinobi but Naruto had forced his hand. Time to push some buttons.

"You gave up on a girl, so why not give up on being a ninja, Hokage, everything? Clearly your 'Never give up' attitude is as fake as the sun that keeps this place alive. Too bad too, we all thought you had it in you, I guess Sasuke will have be the next Hokage. At least he didn't throw away his code of honor after the war." Shikamaru actually questioned himself on that last remark. He really didn't want to end up taking the fast route out of the cave.

His words had an instantaneous effect. "What did you say!" A very angry Naruto turned around and picked up Shikamaru by the collar of his Chunin vest and his left hand glowed with a blinding orange aura "Are you trying to pick a fight?!"

Shikamaru was incredibly worried for his personal safety but managed to continue looking unfazed by his teammate's reaction never breaking eye contact. Now that the Nara had the blonde's attention he could make his point "I couldn't care less about what happens between you and Hinata. BUT YOU'RE A SHINOBI!" He shouted, trying to get some sense into his teammate. When Naruto let go his face fell. Shikamaru sighed. "Just come with me" He walked out of the room where Naruto was and started walking down the hall. Naruto stood still for a second and then followed his teammate. Realizing he had never left his room and did not know where anything was.

Despite Naruto's troubles, Hinata was actively engaged with the enemy, in a contest of mind games. Being of the Hyuga clan Hinata had a very good skill for reading people. She just had to play her cards right and she might be able to avoid conflict altogether. She felt like she was fishing, she had to bait, hook, and reel.

* * *

"I said knit a scarf just for me." Toneri explained. This was his test, when he had checked her thoughts while she was sleeping Hinata had only been thinking of that boy she was with when he had come for her. He had to make sure her loyalties had been realigned.

For a short while she was silent. "Do you refuse?" He said, growing impatient.

"If that is what you wish." She replied softly. She had to keep him thinking that she was there just for him.

With his reply she knew she had him right where she wanted him. "Really?!" He said with surprise in his voice. "You've made me very happy Hinata".

She laughed inwardly; she would just give it to Naruto to replace the one that was destroyed. She had to act while she was on his good side though; if she wanted to coax sensitive information out of him sooner was better than later. He began walking, taking her on a tour of his castle, and as she followed she kept her eyes sharp. Always looking for where he might have hidden the Tenseigan.

As they walked she noticed the spring in his step, it greatly improved her self-esteem to see that she could have such an effect if she wanted to. _'I guess it is easier if they already fell for you.'_ Upon that thought she turned her mind to Naruto. He had fallen for her, and if simply agreeing to make a scarf could make Toneri jubilant, she couldn't imagine how what she had done to Naruto would have affected him. _'No, No, No! I can't think like that right now or I won't be able to act at all.'  
_  
She almost ran into Toneri when he stopped. "This is where we shall be wed" He said with a smile. They were inside a large chapel with an enormously high ceiling; it was quite impressive that a magnificent thing like this castle could have been made on the moon. But the thought of marrying Toneri was so nightmarish that she couldn't appreciate the subtleties of the architecture. "After we are wed we will go into the room of rebirth, and wait until the earth has been completely destroyed. I will then use my visual prowess to bring forth a new world from the ashes."

Trying to change the subject Hinata resorted to opposing the basis of his entire plan. "That's impossible! The moon will be destroyed won't it?" Hinata asked this mostly to clear her thoughts, but she was still fishing for whatever information she could get.

"No, this place is protected by a powerful chakra. It is produced by an ancient Otsutsuki treasure, the Tenseigan." Toneri clarified.

Hinata knew what that was.  
"That's amazing! But I haven't seen any treasuries around here...Where would you keep such a treasure?" Hinata asked, hoping he would be in a good enough mood to tell her.

Under normal circumstances Toneri would have told her, but the picture of Naruto in her thoughts nagged at the back of his mind. "I will show you once we are married" he concluded. Once they were married her loyalty would be confirmed. Besides, it would not be too long now.

Hinata was disappointed that he wouldn't give up the location easily. She would have to keep looking and find it on her own with her Byakugan. Until then she would have to think about ways to find out how to escape with her sister and to convince him that he could trust her. She needed time to think. "May I go to my room now? It's cold outside." She said timidly.

Toneri smiled "Of course you can, plus, when your scarf is done it will help with the cold. We will have dinner in a couple of hours in the main hall, I'll see you there."

As Hinata walked off she noticed the difference in his tone when addressing her. _'He said I'll see you there, not I expect you to be there. My plan is working. I'll have to knit while I think to help with the facade as well.'_ She was happy with the progress she made but was having trouble coming up with an escape plan. "Hopefully Naruto can deal with that" she said happily. She couldn't wait to reunite with her long awaited love interest and start the rest of her life with him. She just hoped he was okay...

* * *

"This is what I wanted to show you." Shikamaru said, as he pointed to Sakura. She was lying face down on a mat, her entire body covered in sweat. "She infused nearly all of her chakra into you, she even had to active her Creation Rebirth jutsu to have enough to keep you alive."

"Sakura-chan"! Naruto shouted as he ran over to her.  
"What? Naruto…" she said, rolling onto her back to see who was making such a big racket.

Just then Sai walked over "I see you will be counting on Sakura to heal his body and his spirit." He joked. "Well, Sai, would you rather do it?" Shikamaru sighed. The whole thing was troublesome to him. "Come on, let's get out of here, I don't think this is something we should be observing" Shikamaru said as turned on his heel and walked away, hands behind his head.

"Are you okay? I had no idea reviving me could be so difficult. I'm so sorry I got hurt. I got… distracted." Naruto described, remembering what had happened.

"Why did it take so much chakra to revive me? You have done it before and it has never been that bad." Naruto questioned. She had saved him plenty of times over the years and he was confused as to what made this instance different.

"Well, you not only had your chakra extracted but he took the nine-tails chakra too. That means no healing factor to speed up the recovery. You had third degree burns all across your back from the explosion and a fractured rib from where the blast initially hit. All that I could have taken care of." "What made me use this." She said as she tapped the small seal on her head.  
"Was that fact that he ripped out your six-paths chakra. I used all of the chakra I could to bring it back and I'm not sure if I was even able to bring back enough for it to be useable. It took three days of nonstop treatment to bring any of it back. Although it should regenerate over time you will have to fight Toneri without it." She stated bluntly.

Naruto was shocked by two things, the fact that his six-paths form had gone and that Sakura and brought it back, and that she had the insight and knowledge to do so. "Wow, you really are a good medic." He said, as if just realizing that fact for the first time. "Although you could work on controlling that monster strength of yours". He teased. She scoffed at his prod about her strength. "Yeah, yeah, you can thank me later." "But first tell me what happened, what is going on with you and Hinata?" She asked, concerned. She became even more concerned when she saw the mask of pain wash over his face as soon as she asked the question.

"Tell me everything."

* * *

 **Yay! Chapter 2 complete! Or really chapter one since the first one was a prologue. I'm curious to see how you guys liked the flashback scenes. They took a long time to write. I'm also curious to see if you want me to write more. I might write two or three more and they are included in the rough draft of the next chapter. I planned on writing the scene where Neji dies, an original scene in between the end of the war and the start of The Last Movie, and possibly minor flashbacks to the part of the mission where Naruto and Hinata spent a lot of time together. I had hinata flirting a little bit! This was important to plot (you'll see why) and I had to make her more confident about herself and about being in a relationship because she had never been in one. Wonder how you guys felt about that?**

 **Now time for Review Responses (RR):**

 **xXNevarXx:** **I'm glad you agree with me with my thoughts on how the movie went. Your suggestion of showing how Naruto came to realize his feelings for her was a great idea and I tried to incorporate into the flashbacks. The interaction with Sakura will be next chapter. Thanks for the great review!**

 **Guest 1:** **Thanks?**

 **Rose Tiger:** **You're supposed to hate him, he's the antagonist!**

 **neonlion:** **I'm glad to have someone going through this with me! You had a different take on it that inspired some of my ideas for the future of the story.**

 **jankitty13, guests2-4, and Lovelygeek7** **: thank you! Glad you liked it and I will be updating I promise. If I decide to stop I will post an update for sure so don't worry, I know the pain of a dead story.**

 **REVIEWS! I neeeeed them. They are to me like brains are to a zombie, my only form of sustenance. They also motivate me to write. I will continue to respond to them as long as I can. Here's some tips on f you should review. Liked the story? Review, tell me and you shall receive more. Hate it? RANT, hate me in the review, and tell the world I suck. You will feel better. Feeling eh on the story. REVIEW so I can spice it up. Tell me what's so bad so I can make the story kick butt.**

 **Thanks for the support,**

 ** _-HyugaVault_**


	3. Chapter 2

**Here is Chapter 3!**

 **Sorry it took so long, I picked up a job, I'm a lazy author, and I rewrote/ scratched so many scenes. But don't worry it's all fast paced from here. This chapter is not the best but I owe it to you guys to update. Hopefully the next update will be by the end of this week. No promises tho…**

 **Note: The AU point of this story is in sets of minor details and a few major events. Other than that I am keeping most of the other characters as they were in the canon. I do, however, plan to swing this story very far from the Boruto timeline at least as it was during and after The Last movie.**

 **Also I will be using the word flashback to separate flashback from present from now on.**

 **I own Naruto as much as I own up to my mistakes.**

 **I don't.**

* * *

 **The Discovery of Passion**

As Hinata walked toward the dining room of Toneri's castle two things were on her agenda. To sell her loyalty to Toneri and to get him to reveal the location of the tenseigan. Although it was a long shot she also hoped she could convince him of his wrong and save him from his inevitable fate. As she walked through the wide doors of the castle dining room she began her charade. "Sorry I'm late! I was knitting that scarf and I lost track of time." She said giggling slightly. _'Wow! I'm now officially Sakura at the academy. Great start'_ She criticized herself sarcastically. "Not a problem my dear, it just came out of the oven, fresh and hot. Help yourself." Toneri said with a small smile.  
"Thank you. You're so kind to put all this out for me." As he acknowledged her thanks with a nod she smiled a large, fake smile. One she had, sadly, learned from Naruto after watching him for so long. At the thought of how long Naruto had kept that smile and what he had gone through Hinata was doing her best to keep her emotions from showing. _'He's making me use that smile.'_ No matter how hard she tried she couldn't seem to keep him out of her head. She only hoped her anger didn't flicker through her innocent look. "It must have taken so long to set this up. You didn't have to go to all of that trouble for me." Toneri laughed "Yes, well the puppets due come in very handy in that regard. But meals are much brighter when you have someone to share them with." He looked up from his food to stare her right in her eyes when he said the last part. Hinata shivered, his eyes were very unnerving.

"But enough about all this, I want to hear everything about you." Toneri leaned forward towards her, and despite the long table in between the two it felt like he was right next to her. He had such a looming presence. It sent shivers down her spine. _'I really don't like him!'_

As she thought about how to respond her mind flickered back to the war, and how many people had been lost. She couldn't talk about her past like it was nothing; it would be far too painful. She went straight for her guns and decided to take the conversation where it needed to go.

"You know it's not too late for the shinobi of the earth. They have been using chakra as a weapon but after the war they have come together to protect their hard-won peace." She was tired of dancing around the subject and even more tired of having to pretend to not want to kill him. She just decided to address the elephant in the room.

Toneri sighed "It's like that now, but they will just go back to the way they were. The earth must be destroyed."

It was no surprise to Hinata that he hadn't bent on anything but she couldn't tell if his sigh was out of annoyance or remorse. Suddenly she had an idea. "I'm sorry for bringing up such a sensitive subject; it's just that my family is down there." She would play the victim card now. She channeled her chakra into her eyes to activate a water-release jutsu she had been working on for a while. _'Water-style: crocodile tears'_ She combined this with her already excellent puppy-dog eyes jutsu and it made for a nasty combination. No one could resist now. "I just don't... I don't know if I have the strength… this is so hard." She gasped out with very satisfactory sobbing. She kept him in the edge of her vision however, to see how he would react.

Toneri had no idea what to do. She had abandoned everything for him and now the realization that everyone she knew and loved was about to be killed had hit her all at once. This was not something he was prepared to deal with. "I'm sorry. This is the way it has to be. I talked to your father actually; he turned down my proposition for the Hyuga to join me on the moon. I tried to save them all, I truly did. I resorted to taking you two by force because I couldn't let all of humanity be destroyed." He tried to explain.

Hinata was surprised that he had talked to her father. She was not surprised that the offer had been turned down however. Her father took great pride in the Hyuga and would never submit to another's will on their future. "At least you gave them a chance. I guess you did your best." She sniffled a little afterwards for an added effect.

Just then a giant floating rock passed by the window of the dining room. Hinata gaze was drawn to it as it took up most of the large window that was alongside the table at which they were eating "What is that?" Hinata murmured, in awe of the bizarre island in space.

Toneri's face lightened up at the mention of the temple. "Ah! That is the temple of Hamura. It houses the Tenseigan, the ancient Otsutsuki treasure I told you about. It only passes by during the Rinne rebirth festival. If you'd like. I can take you to see it after we are done eating." Hinata nodded. "This treasure wouldn't happen to be the same one moving the moon and protecting this place would it?" Toneri laughed "You're very clever, yes it indeed is."

Hinata was jumping for joy inside. _'Now I finally know where it is! Now to destroy it and get back to Naruto!'  
_

* * *

Back in the cave Naruto had just finished recounting the tale of his rejection to Sakura, who could be a surprisingly good shoulder to cry on. Literally. "Well, I have to say, I never would have guessed that you would confess your love first." Sakura laughed. "You idiot, it's about time you realized she had feelings for you."

Naruto looked a little surprised. "You knew?" Sakura just rose an eyebrow "Naruto, it was so obvious that people in Suna knew. I mean, she told you while you were fighting Pain. How you managed to stay honestly ignorant after that is beyond me..." Naruto laughed bitterly. "Yeah? Well none of that matters now. She picked Toneri over me."

Sakura sighed. She wasn't quite sure how to explain it to him. After all, based on his track record he was terrible at understanding any of it. She took a deep breath

"Naruto, it's been years now, but do you remember when you first said that you loved me?" He nodded. Those were some crazy times. "At the time, I really cared for you, as a teammate and a friend and maybe something else was there. But it just paled in comparison to how much I care for Sasuke. The feelings I felt for him truly scared me. I was willing to commit treason and abandon all of my family and friends just to be able to be with him. In another world, where I didn't meet him, we might have had a chance."

Naruto's eyes were very wide at this. He had been rejected so many times by her that it was almost inconceivable that she said they 'might have had a chance.'

She continued "But it's impossible because I love him. I think that you understand that love, after all, when I lied about loving you instead of Sasuke to try and ease your burden you saw right through me, you knew me too well. Those feelings I have for Sasuke are the same that Hinata has for you. I know that she hasn't forgotten you, because when a girl falls in love for the first time, and it's true love, her feelings can't change that easily. Hinata left for a reason! And she couldn't tell you that for a reason! You have to believe in her. Frankly, she's too good from you. She's been waiting for you to notice her since the academy and she never once faulted you for…being you..."

Naruto was shell-shocked. He had never considered it from her point of view. All her life Hinata had been working so Naruto could see her, so he would respect her, she always looked out for him, she was always there for him, and he had not even batted an eye at her. Naruto had grown up as an outcast, no one had given a damn about him, but what if the one person that he really cared about saw right through him? That would hurt even worse. Naruto had, for years, never once acknowledged the feelings she had confessed for him while he was fighting Pain. She had mounted the courage to not only die on the battlefield for Naruto but tell him her deepest feelings. She lived for years after that, supporting him and fighting in the fourth great shinobi war for him, all while thinking that, in the back of her mind, he didn't even care enough to discuss her hope with her. The amount of pain he must have caused her was hard for Naruto to grasp. As he thought back to what he could have done Naruto thought back to the day of the mass funeral that was held after the war. It was a day that would forever be burned into his memory.

 ** _Flashback_**

 _It was about 11:30 at night and he had been unable to sleep so he decided to go for a walk in the village. It was raining but he didn't care, all that was on his mind was the blood soaked battlefield that he had left behind and even the face of Neji joined those that had been lost. Naruto drifted from street to street in a daze. 'If only I had been stronger! It would have all been worth it, just to save one more person! Just to have one more child with their family again.' As Naruto dealt with his grief he walked to the old Genin training ground he used to spend so much time at._

 _Memories washed over him, after all, some of the best times in his life were with team 7._

" _If you hesitate for a moment on the battlefield the enemy will take advantage. Then you are stuck with an impossible situation. That is why teamwork is so important to the life of a shinobi. Every mission you and your comrades are putting their lives on the line, if you fail the team fails, and their blood is on your hands."_

' _Now I know what Kakashi-Sensei was telling us all those years ago. How a split second is all that it takes to save or lose a comrade. As Naruto approached the clearing he heard telltale signs of training. 'But who would be up training this late?'_

 _Hinata was tired, she had a long day at the funeral and going home had not made it better. So she poured all of her effort into her training. She was now able to shoot her Twin Lion Fists as projectiles creating a new jutsu_ _Eight Trigrams: Air Lion Palm_ _. But she was having trouble guiding more than one at a time so she was currently dodging and controlling her own attack. She stood in the center of the field and shot the attack out, away from her. She then would turn the Lion around and shoot it at herself repeatedly to see how long she could maintain the blast and to work on endurance training. There were many craters around the field showing that she had been at it for quite some time. 'Alright, this time for sure!' As the Lion in the air made a pass at her again she bent backwards at the waist until her torso was horizontal to the ground so the attack would pass directly over top of her. She then charged the second lion and tried to shoot it straight up. But due to the fact that her chakra was also currently guiding the first lion around to make another pass at her the lion she shot up did not have a complete shape and dissipated after moving slowly for a few seconds. 'Yes! I did it! It wasn't perfect but for a few seconds I…' She stopped her train of thought as she realized she had forgotten something. The Lion she had already shot, though she had stopped guiding it with chakra, was already headed directly for her, if she hadn't been out in the field for hours she could have dodged it fine but her legs wouldn't cooperate. 'I have so low chakra! If that hits me I'll…'_

 _Just as the blue blast was about to make contact with her she felt a strange pull in her gut as her view of the world shifted to the edge of the clearing where she had an open view of what happened next. Naruto had used kamwari to switch places with her and now faced the attack. "Naruto! No!" She screamed. The blond in mention was currently holding onto the attack with his hands covered in an orange glow. Unfortunately he was unaware that said attack absorbed the chakra out of its target. Normally it would just take the chakra out of the chakra system that it came in contact with, but Naruto wasn't so lucky. He was pouring all of his chakra to his hands which the attack was happy to siphon off, what resulted was a giant lion, a confused Naruto, and a terrified Hinata. Luckily the blond wasn't that stupid and while pushing the attack so it angled up used his superb agility to dive away just as the now orange lion was about to explode from chakra overload. The attack flew up into the sky where it exploded with a ferocious crack spreading chakra everywhere like a firework._

 _Hinata dropped to her knees in relief, and also exhaustion. "A-are you okay Naruto-kun?" The blond was now sitting next to her having landed there after his chakra fueled jump. "Well my hands have seen better days but I'm okay, besides, that's some attack you've got there Hinata, I'm glad I switched with you or things would've been bad." Normally Hinata would have been red in the face over his compliment but she was too worried about the severe chakra burns on his hands. She pulled out her special medicinal cream and placed it next to him. "H-here it's a healing ointment it will help ease the p-pain." 'I thought I fixed my stuttering problem!' Naruto laughed "Nah, I don't need it! Plus I wouldn't want to ruin the whole container with my dirty-Ah!" He winced as he had tried to put his hand on his neck like he always did but now found it difficult with scarred hands. Hinata was ready 'Now's my chance!' "Ano, if you want I can put it on, I don't mind your..hands.." She mentally kicked herself for the last part. "Really?! Thanks Hinata!" She took his hands and looked them over carefully to survey the damage, however as she expected the external damage had been healed._

 _"Looks like fuzzy took care of some of it already." She flinched when Naruto's hand shook violently and looked up to see him holding his stomach and laughing harder than she had ever seen before, and that was saying something, she haaad been watching him for longer than she cared to admit after all. She started to wonder what was so funny when she realized what happened. 'Wait! Did I say that OUT LOUD!' She blushed a fiery shade of crimson in shame. She had always referred to the demon as 'fuzzy', ever since she got the fox plushy she always kept on her bed of the same name, she had actually gotten it before she knew the truth about what was inside him, he had always reminded her of a fox and when she found out the truth the plushy became even more precious. "Oh my goodness! FUZZY?! That was priceless! Hinata YOU are a comedy genius! You should hear what he's been saying. Ohhh…" He wiped a tear from his eyes._

 _After that she had put the cream on his hands carefully applying it to all of the affected areas. "Ahh, that feels nice, the skin may have healed but the cool feeling is great! Thanks Hinata!" His smile quickly faded however. "What are you doing out here so late? If I hadn't been here you would have been, at best, knocked out until someone found you. You have to be more careful, you are running dangerously low on chakra." He looked over at her with worry. Hinata felt the wave of emotions hit her again like they did after the funeral and this time she was too tired to keep them bottled up inside. She started to sob, she tried to cover her eyes to conceal it but her whole body was shaking._

 _She was so numb from the cold of the rain that she barely noticed when Naruto pulled her in close. But once she was there his warmth flooded through her body like liquid fire. She hadn't felt the comfort of an embrace like this since her mother. Now she had another thing to cry about. So that's what she did, she just let it all out. "Neji… I'm so sorry… I-it's… My fault that you're gone… If only I had been stronger… I could have protected you. Then you wouldn't have gone, and you wouldn't have to be remembered as 'just a branch member'. I'm so…" She was interrupted by a splash on her forehead. However, unlike the rain, this one was warm. She once again raised her eyes to meet the now shimmering pools of 'the hero of Konoha' as tears now ran down his face as well. "It's not your fault; he gave himself for you, for us. If it had been you instead of him I don't know if I…" His voice cracked and he stopped._

 _"You are a strong person; if you hadn't been there to bring me back after Neji's death then I don't think we would've won the war. I think about it all the time, how many people I could've saved. How many people I should've saved. What I would have done if people hadn't been saved. But it's too hard to live in the past. We have to keep moving forward and live our lives in a way each and every person we've lost would be proud of. So we can honor their memory. Don't be so hard on yourself, it's because you're here today that Neji lives on. Inside you. Inside all of us. We have our hard fought peace to enjoy so let's step forward towards the future for everyone we have now, and everyone we lost, and do it with the pride of a Konoha ninja!" He looked down to see Hinata with a happy grin on her face and her cheek pressed against his chest. 'She fell asleep. Guess I'll take her back home then.' He picked her up bridal style and dashed off through the treetops to the Hyuga compound with all the grace of a ninja._

* * *

 _Hinata felt the wind across her face as she opened her eyes. She saw the silhouette of a ninja who appeared to be carrying her. He was moving very quickly but so very gently that she has to strain to feel the force of his many leaps and bounds. She looked to see where they were going and saw a clearing ahead. The ninja prepared and extra-large jump to go across it all at once. As they soared over the field she looked up again. Naruto's entire body was outlined in moonlight, his body appeared to be shining and contrasted the dark, night sky. All of his muscular frame was highlighted and his eyes sparkled like sapphires, his hair was glowing and flowed with the gentle breeze as it went by. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, she couldn't help but gasp and wonder if it was all a dream. She wouldn't ever find out, however, because fatigue took her body and the world faded out once more. Naruto entered the Hyuga compound and carried her all the way to her bed and set her down gently. He carefully took her shoes off and tucked her into bed. Then, he stood for a few seconds just watching her sleep, and absentmindedly tucked a stray hair behind her ear._

 _ **Flashforward**_

"Beautiful" he murmured. It was what he said then and what he said now.

"Hellooooo, earth to Naruto!" Sakura was snapping her fingers in front of his face, snapping him back to reality. "You totally spaced out on me. I thought I was getting through to you but now you're back to this." She sighed.

 _'Man! I am such an asshole. She had to live with a crushed heart and she still never stopped supporting me. She had to do that for YEARS! And I'm moping before it has been two days? Why the hell am I sulking?! She's out there and needs my help!'  
_

"Thank you Sakura. I don't think I can ever make up for what you have done for me."

"Glad to… Help?" _'I don't think I'll ever understand him…'_ As Sakura's confusion hit an all-time high. Naruto's eyes lost their distant look and began to burn with such a strong fire of determination that he lit up the room.

* * *

A certain two green Taijutsu masters would have been proud to see Naruto's 'flames of youth' in full blaze. Back in the village a certain shinobi who was leading the Crane Wing Formation and destroying meteors as they fell over the heads of the evacuees sneezed, the force of which, enhanced by the 6th gate of View, sliced through several approaching meteors creating twice as many targets to hit. "WITH THE POWER OF YOUTH I WILL DESTROY ALL OF THE METEORITES OVER THIS VILLAGE OR I WILL DO 3,000 ONE FINGER PUSH-UPS!" All of the other 5 members sweat dropped, they all knew what it meant when Lee got this worked up. They would have to struggle to keep up with his ridiculous stamina and his intensity would only get stronger with every missed rock. It was going to be a long day.

Meanwhile on top of the Hokage mansion. Kakashi, and a group of scientists were monitoring the moon and the meteorites fall down and watching for a sudden change in their behavior. Kakashi had been unable to contact Naruto's team or locate Hiashi and he was beginning to get a very bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Now, Kakashi had been through a lot, two wars and facing down the God of shinobi to name a few. So when he had a suspicion it was usually well founded. As Kakashi thought about all the clues leading up to this: Hiashi's disappearance, the moon beginning to fall, Hanabi's kidnapping, and Konoha's arguably best team ever assembled missing, the largest meteorite of the night began hurtling towards the mansion. Kakashi was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the explosion of the Crane Wing Formation destroying half of the meteor and looked up to see the other, flaming half dangerously close to him and his comrades. _'I have no time! I can't make enough clones to cut the meteor with two lightning cables so what do I do?'_ Kakashi began making hand signs at a speed the yellow flash of the leaf would have been proud of when a dark shape appeared in front of him with a sword in one hand and a black chidori in the other. "When he's not here, I'm the only one… that can protect the village!" With that the meteor was turned to dust in an instant as Sasuke disappeared again into the night, just as quickly as he had come. Despite all that Kakashi had gone through in his life, the only things that could really surprise him were his students. _'How did Lord 3rd keep this up for so many years?!'_ "Lord Sixth!" Kakashi was snapped out of his short episode by one of the scientists who was now holding an unconscious Hiashi."Send him to the medical tent, I have a feeling when he wakes up he will have quite the story to tell."

* * *

While the other shinobi were busy protecting the village. Kumo was doing something very different. They were preparing a large cannon with chakra. Strangely enough, even though the strongest shinobi in the village were loading the cannon, two were missing: Darui and Killer Bee, the Eight-tails jinchuriki. Appearing oblivious or uncaring in regards to his best to shinobi missing the Raikage, Ay, was waiting for the chakra to be charged so he could fire it into the sky, destroying the moon. As the chakra capacity reached 100% Ay called a Five Kage Summit over the radio transponders they were using to communicate. Ay was the first to speak "I have a cannon that will first destroy the ring of asteroids around the earth and then the moon. I am merely calling you as a notification. This will save the earth." The Tsuchikage laughed "Can never be too careful with you can we Raikage?" Ay merely scowled "I never would have imagined that the time to use this would be after the war." Kakashi spoke next "Lord Raikage I agree with you destroying the asteroids but please hold off on destroying the moon until the absolute last possible second. The damage that destroying the moon would cause to the environment is difficult to fathom." Ay just scoffed. "As I said, this is a notification. The chakra transportation cannon fires." Ay then ended the communication leaving the other Kage nothing short of speechless. Gaara recovered the fastest "Just what is going on?" Kakashi shook his head. "I have a really bad feeling about this." He had a hunch that there was so much more to come but the storm that was brewing was much worse than anyone could've imagined.

Back in Kumo the Raikage fired the cannon and systematically obliterated all of the incoming rock from the moon. A great cheer rose over the cloud village. "And next, the moon! Load the cannon again!" Ay shouted. The shinobi on the moon would never see it coming. However unbeknownst to the rows of shinobi in Kumo there was another man who was present for the proceedings. Slowly changing the course of history with the red, shuriken shaped pupil in his right eye. Things were bad indeed.

* * *

Cliffhanger no jutsu! I'm sorry this chapter is so short but I promise that the next one will be out much faster. I know the masked man is practically a motif in this series but I have not decided whether his influence will be long or short term. Curious to see if you guys can guess his true identity. I honestly doubt it. (Not an OC) The timeline of the events on earth will progress normally but the timeline on the moon is accelerated. Feel free to say all guesses about the future and as always REVIEW!

 **Now, for RR time!**

 **Guest 5: I'm glad you like my flashbacks, as for using more of Naruto's thoughts it's more like he is remembering everything to see what happened. He was pretty blindsided so he is organizing his thoughts. My explanation of his love is that it was always developing and that all he had to do was see it for himself. He really isn't thinking too much about the memories, just dwelling on them in self pity.**

 **Guest 6: you are right, thank you for the criticism. I honestly never really liked Sakura's character so I didn't try as hard to capture it. I tried to improve but I still feel like it could be better.**

 **Sayianvegeta 1648: yep, yep, yep. I have that in this chap but I totally agree.**

 **xXNevarXx: Thanks for all the support! Glad you like it. This chapter is probably the weakest one yet but the next one will kick ass. BELIEVE IT! It's just hard for me to drag on Naruto's idiocy any longer than I need to.**

 **naruhinakiralacus & Lovelygeek7: thanks for the support and reviews!**

 **As always, thank you for reading!**

 _ **-HyugaVault**_


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